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Remember, keep safe!

Oct 15, 2011#1

jmurray01

Now winter is coming, I have three tips to keep you and your car safe this winter!

1) Oil - Make sure you have enough oil in the sump, and it is clean. If it is looking a little bit sooty or watery, get it changed, along with the filter, before the snow comes, not after, as when it is extra cold, the engine needs all the lubrication it can get, and worn out oil won't do your engine any favours.

2) Coolant - Make sure your coolant is above the MIN mark, and is clean. If it has been in there for more than three years, I'd recommend you change it with a 50:50 mixture of deionised water and anti-freeze. If it freezes, your block could crack with the expansion, and if you manage to start the engine with frozen coolant, it will overheat.

3) Tyres - Check you have good treads, and the pressure is correct. When it is snowy, your tyres need all the help they can get to grip, so if they are bald and/or under/over inflated, you are risking your car's life, and yours. If you can afford it, I'd recommend you fit winter tyres.

So, follow my wise tips, and you and your car should remain safe this winter.

Oct 15, 2011#2

JDgreen

jmurray01 said:
Now winter is coming, I have three tips to keep you and your car safe this winter!

1) Oil - Make sure you have enough oil in the sump, and it is clean. If it is looking a little bit sooty or watery, get it changed, along with the filter, before the snow comes, not after, as when it is extra cold, the engine needs all the lubrication it can get, and worn out oil won't do your engine any favours.

2) Coolant - Make sure your coolant is above the MIN mark, and is clean. If it has been in there for more than three years, I'd recommend you change it with a 50:50 mixture of deionised water and anti-freeze. If it freezes, your block could crack with the expansion, and if you manage to start the engine with frozen coolant, it will overheat.

3) Tyres - Check you have good treads, and the pressure is correct. When it is snowy, your tyres need all the help they can get to grip, so if they are bald and/or under/over inflated, you are risking your car's life, and yours. If you can afford it, I'd recommend you fit winter tyres.

So, follow my wise tips, and you and your car should remain safe this winter.

Good points, all....our vehicles all use the GM Dex-Cool extended life coolant which they say is good for 5 years or 100,000 miles, we do not drive much so I go by the 5 year change interval. Today's shops tend to offer what is called a "coolant replacement" where they hook up your hoses to a gadget that siphons the old coolant out while putting in new. Dumb idea, IMO. That does NOTHING to flush the system out.

Here is how I do it:

Warm engine to operating temp so the thermostat is open, shut off the engine, and CAREFULLY semi-open radiator cap or coolant recovery tank cap. Then CAREFULLY remove lower radiator hose and drain old coolant. Disconnect radiator hoses COMPLETELY when engine is cooler. Then use a shop vacuum with a blower post and the proper attachment (see attachment) :laughing::laughing: to blow out engine block, coolant tank, radiator, etc. You will be amazed at how much coolant may be left in the system. Then, reconnect hoses and fill with water, start engine and let it get fully warm, then drain and blow out the system again, as described. If old cooolant was very dirty, add a commercial flush chemical to the water when you do the filling.

Be sure your car heater is on and set to high when you do both flushings, as there will be coolant inside it. For the REALLY fussy old farts like me, disconnect a hose so you can really drain, flush, and blow out heater core. Reconnect all the hoses and begin refilling your cooling system.

AND BE SURE what coolant you are adding is compatable with the engine and what MAY be left in the cooling system !!! They make coolants today that will mix well with all other types. But check carefully.

When I did the draining and flushing for my GMC last time, despite my care in trying to get all the old coolant and the flushing water out of the system, there were still about a gallon left in the 4 gallon cooling system. Since I was quite sure it was mainly clean water, I carefully added the proper amount of new Dex-Cool and clean water to give me a 65% concentrate of antifreeze. This is the main advantage of doing it my way, you should have a good idea of just how much antifreeze to add. The bad thing is, by doing it my way, you have NO IDEA at all how much you actually drained from your system.....:thumbdown:

The cooling system will take a long time to purge of air after the initial fill so keep checking the level frequently.

Gonna run to the garage and take a pic of the attachment that will be shown in the attachment....:laughing:

Doing the cooling system flush and refill my way is very time consuming and messy but to me it is worth it as I know it was done properly. Simply exchanging old coolant with new is fast and easy but does a very poor job as it mixes them together. :thumbdown:

Oct 15, 2011#3

M

Mower manic

Ummm.....What's a tyre?

Oct 15, 2011#4

JDgreen

Mower manic said:
Ummm.....What's a tyre?

And I should have mentioned you have to raise the bonnet to check under the hood....

Oct 15, 2011#5

jmurray01

Mower manic said:
Ummm.....What's a tyre?

It is a circular object, usually made of rubber that makes cars mobile.

Oct 15, 2011#6

jmurray01

JDgreen said:
Good points, all....our vehicles all use the GM Dex-Cool extended life coolant which they say is good for 5 years or 100,000 miles, we do not drive much so I go by the 5 year change interval. Today's shops tend to offer what is called a "coolant replacement" where they hook up your hoses to a gadget that siphons the old coolant out while putting in new. Dumb idea, IMO. That does NOTHING to flush the system out.

Here is how I do it:

Warm engine to operating temp so the thermostat is open, shut off the engine, and CAREFULLY semi-open radiator cap or coolant recovery tank cap. Then CAREFULLY remove lower radiator hose and drain old coolant. Disconnect radiator hoses COMPLETELY when engine is cooler. Then use a shop vacuum with a blower post and the proper attachment (see attachment) :laughing::laughing: to blow out engine block, coolant tank, radiator, etc. You will be amazed at how much coolant may be left in the system. Then, reconnect hoses and fill with water, start engine and let it get fully warm, then drain and blow out the system again, as described. If old cooolant was very dirty, add a commercial flush chemical to the water when you do the filling.

Be sure your car heater is on and set to high when you do both flushings, as there will be coolant inside it. For the REALLY fussy old farts like me, disconnect a hose so you can really drain, flush, and blow out heater core. Reconnect all the hoses and begin refilling your cooling system.

AND BE SURE what coolant you are adding is compatable with the engine and what MAY be left in the cooling system !!! They make coolants today that will mix well with all other types. But check carefully.

When I did the draining and flushing for my GMC last time, despite my care in trying to get all the old coolant and the flushing water out of the system, there were still about a gallon left in the 4 gallon cooling system. Since I was quite sure it was mainly clean water, I carefully added the proper amount of new Dex-Cool and clean water to give me a 65% concentrate of antifreeze. This is the main advantage of doing it my way, you should have a good idea of just how much antifreeze to add. The bad thing is, by doing it my way, you have NO IDEA at all how much you actually drained from your system.....:thumbdown:

The cooling system will take a long time to purge of air after the initial fill so keep checking the level frequently.

Gonna run to the garage and take a pic of the attachment that will be shown in the attachment....:laughing:

Doing the cooling system flush and refill my way is very time consuming and messy but to me it is worth it as I know it was done properly. Simply exchanging old coolant with new is fast and easy but does a very poor job as it mixes them together. :thumbdown:

Thank you for the How To JD! :thumbsup:

Seeing as I change my coolant every 2-3 years, and it never really gets a chance to get that dirty, I just empty out the old stuff, put the drain plug back on, fill it with water and run for 15-20 minutes, empty that out, and fill with the correct measures of water and anti-freeze.

I don't have to worry about mixing anti-freezes as I always use the same stuff, which is the blue one.

Oct 15, 2011#7

Bison

My advice,.....fix only what's broke when it breaks.:tongue:

All that, " change this,winterize that" is only to maximize economy for whoever does the advertizing pushing their products.:confused2:

I Do change oil and filters and grease up as recommended though:wink:

Oct 15, 2011#8

jmurray01

Bison said:
My advice,.....fix only what's broke when it breaks.:tongue:

All that, " change this,winterize that" is only to maximize economy for whoever does the advertizing pushing their products.:confused2:

I Do change oil and filters and grease up as recommended though:wink:

Yes, that is true if the oil/coolant is clean and new, but if it is a few years old and getting worn, I'm simply stating that it is much better for your car to replace it.

A stitch in time saves nine...

Oct 15, 2011#9

JDgreen

jmurray01 said:
Yes, that is true if the oil/coolant is clean and new, but if it is a few years old and getting worn, I'm simply stating that it is much better for your car to replace it.

A stitch in time saves nine...

RIGHT...I loved that Fram slogan.....

"You can pay a little more now, or a lot later...."

Oct 15, 2011#10

jmurray01

JDgreen said:
RIGHT...I loved that Fram slogan.....

"You can pay a little more now, or a lot later...."

Whatever way it is said, it is true...

Many a time in the past I've just kept using something without maintenance, due to either lack of time or funds, or usually both, and in the end, it breaks down and costs a lot more to fix.

Now, I make time and money to keep my equipment maintained, and nothing has let me down yet. Touch wood...

Oct 15, 2011#11

L

LandN

vehicle maintenance should be a number one concern for all motorist at any time of the year,whether its basic liquid/fluid changes or brakes,tires,exhaust,electrical,chassis components,etc.when a vehicle is on the road and in a non safe condition,it then becomes an accident waiting to happen

this is why i am in favor of FREQUENT oil change intervals.it gives a chance to hopefully spot a potential problem while looking the vehicle over,and yes, trying to find something wrong....hey jd you might want to see if your vehicle has the tiny(2) block drain plugs(not freeze plugs) when changing out your coolant. its probably the lowest point for better drainage. nice to see you are very thorough in your coolant change.

Oct 15, 2011#12

JDgreen

LandN said:
vehicle maintenance should be a number one concern for all motorist at any time of the year,whether its basic liquid/fluid changes or brakes,tires,exhaust,electrical,chassis components,etc.when a vehicle is on the road and in a non safe condition,it then becomes an accident waiting to happenthis is why i am in favor of FREQUENT oil change intervals.it gives a chance to hopefully spot a potential problem while looking the vehicle over,and yes, trying to find something wrong....hey jd you might want to see if your vehicle has the tiny(2) block drain plugs(not freeze plugs) when changing out your coolant. its probably the lowest point for better drainage. nice to see you are very thorough in your coolant change.

This is our third GM car with the 3800 V6 and I have not found a coolant drain on the block yet...but THANK YOU for the heads up....:thumbsup:

Oct 15, 2011#13

B

Black Bart

I have several vehicles that I have owned for over 20 years and 2 that is over 25 years old and I have never changed the anti-freeze.

Anti Freeze does not wear out it will protect from freezing forever.

What will happen is the rust protection additives will evaporate and need to be replaced.

I buy a bottle of Prestone coolant system treatment with water pump lube and add a bottle every year.
25 years and the inside of the radiator looks like new.

Jd has spent more time on maintenance in one year than I have in 25. :biggrin:

If you like wasting your time and $$$$$$$$ be my guest but it sure is not necessary.

Oct 15, 2011#14

JDgreen

Black Bart said:
I have several vehicles that I have owned for over 20 years and 2 that is over 25 years old and I have never changed the anti-freeze.

Anti Freeze does not wear out it will protect from freezing forever.

What will happen is the rust protection additives will evaporate and need to be replaced.

I buy a bottle of Prestone coolant system treatment with water pump lube and add a bottle every year.
25 years and the inside of the radiator looks like new.

Jd has spent more time on maintenance in one year than I have in 25. :biggrin:

If you like wasting your time and $$$$$$$$ be my guest but it sure is not necessary.

Each to his own, there are a lot of people who throw away money on synthetic oils that I consider an obscene, stupid, overpriced waste of dollars, but hey, it's your equipment you treat it as you please. :laughing::laughing:

So, tell us, how many vehicles do you have to care for?

Oct 15, 2011#15

M

Mower manic

jmurray01 said:
It is a circular object, usually made of rubber that makes cars mobile.

That is a tire!

Oct 15, 2011#16

JDgreen

Mower manic said:
That is a tire!

Rubber donut, tread, hoop, tube type, inflated, casing, spare, flat, bias ply, belted, radial, tubeless....all those can be used to decribe a tire or tyre....ply rating, out of round, unbalanced, snow, all season, compact spare, rotated, agressive tread, low profile...all these too.

One letter "Y" is of little importance. :laughing:

Oct 16, 2011#17

jmurray01

Mower manic said:
That is a tire!

For Americans and Canadians it is, for people in the UK it is a tyre.

Oct 16, 2011#18

JDgreen

jmurray01 said:
For Americans and Canadians it is, for people in the UK it is a tyre.

I am getting TYRED, oops, TIRED, of all this debate about how the word is spelled.

Oct 16, 2011#19

jmurray01

JDgreen said:
I am getting TYRED, oops, TIRED, of all this debate about how the word is spelled.

You're not the only one...

Oct 16, 2011#20

Bison

jmurray01 said:
For Americans and Canadians it is, for people in the UK it is a tyre.

People from the UK where always a little coockoo :tongue:

Oct 16, 2011#21

jmurray01

Bison said:
People from the UK where always a little coockoo :tongue:

I'd like to say you're wrong... But you're not... :laughing:

Oct 16, 2011#22

A

Ariena

Bison said:
People from the UK where always a little coockoo :tongue:

Where??? Or is that the American spelling of "were"?

Oct 16, 2011#23

jmurray01

Ariena said:
Where??? Or is that the American spelling of "were"?

I didn't notice that :laughing:

Oct 17, 2011#24

B

Black Bart

JDgreen said:
Each to his own, there are a lot of people who throw away money on synthetic oils that I consider an obscene, stupid, overpriced waste of dollars, but hey, it's your equipment you treat it as you please. :laughing::laughing:

So, tell us, how many vehicles do you have to care for?

JD you assume that I paid full retail but you know what they say about people that assume you wind up looking like the first three letters in the word ASSume. :laughing:

I have a large oil stash I buy it when the price is right not wait till I need it.

What is in my car now I got a $15.00 per 5 quart rebate on but advance auto had a $10.00 instant rebate on any purchase over $20.00 so i printed several coupons and went to AA and bought a 5 quart jug gave them my 10 dollar instant rebate and got the oil for $11.00.

I sent my wife in to buy one also.

Then on the way to the Meijers store I stopped at the south side AA and bought 2 more jugs.

I sent in the rebates under my name and my wife/daughter and a friend so I got 40 bucks instant rebate at AA and got 60 bucks back from SOPUS so they paid me 16 dollars to use there oil.

Still sound stupid and overpriced
Maybe you are the one paying too much for your oil. :biggrin:

Oct 17, 2011#25

JDgreen

Black Bart said:
JD you assume that I paid full retail but you know what they say about people that assume you wind up looking like the first three letters in the word ASSume. :laughing:

I have a large oil stash I buy it when the price is right not wait till I need it.

What is in my car now I got a $15.00 per 5 quart rebate on but advance auto had a $10.00 instant rebate on any purchase over $20.00 so i printed several coupons and went to AA and bought a 5 quart jug gave them my 10 dollar instant rebate and got the oil for $11.00.

I sent my wife in to buy one also.

Then on the way to the Meijers store I stopped at the south side AA and bought 2 more jugs.

I sent in the rebates under my name and my wife/daughter and a friend so I got 40 bucks instant rebate at AA and got 60 bucks back from SOPUS so they paid me 16 dollars to use there oil.

Still sound stupid and overpriced
Maybe you are the one paying too much for your oil. :biggrin:

Can the BS because I don't believe you....PERIOD. You got 20 quarts of oil for free and a $16 buck cash payment? BULL ROAR. I WILL NEVER BELIEVE THAT.

Oct 17, 2011#26

A

Ariena

Hmmmmmmmm?

Oct 17, 2011#27

JDgreen

Ariena said:
Hmmmmmmmm?

Mobil 1 here at AA is $30 per 5 quarts, it has been a LONG TIME since it was sold for $21 for 5 quarts.

Oct 17, 2011#28

A

Ariena

I'm paying $33 per 4.5 liters on sale here in Canada for Castrol Syntec.

Oct 17, 2011#29

JDgreen

Ariena said:
Hmmmmmmmm?

AND, to get a $15 mail in rebate on 5 quarts of Mobil 1 you have to buy one of those way, way overpriced Mobil 1 oil filters too....did you mention that?

Here is MY oil stash, what with sale prices and rebates, etc. my conventional oil stash (about 90 quarts) cost me about $1.45 per quart, and a lot of it is diesel oil. Figure out your OVERALL cost per quart for a 3 to 4 year supply, and then tell me who is paying too much for oil...

Oct 17, 2011#30

JDgreen

Ariena said:
I'm paying $33 per 4.5 liters on sale here in Canada for Castrol Syntec.

IMO synthetic is WAY, WAY overpriced compared to conventional oils. WAY OVERPRICED. And except in very extreme operating conditions it provides no better engine protection. Nowhere enough to justify paying 2X-3X the price of conventional oil.

Oct 17, 2011#31

A

Ariena

Good Luck!

Oct 17, 2011#32

B

Black Bart

JDgreen said:
Mobil 1 here at AA is $30 per 5 quarts, it has been a LONG TIME since it was sold for $21 for 5 quarts.

Well I could care less what you believe but it is true.
Where did the Mobil-1 come from I said nothing about Mobil-1 maybe you don't know what SOPUS stands for.
I bought Pennzoil and it is made by Shell Oil products of US

Mobil had a 15 dollar rebate last spring but I didn't buy any because I have too much on hand now.

Current Mobil rebate here.

Mobil 1 Rebates and Offers - Save on Store Purchases and Oil Changes

Current price on Mobil-1 at my local Wal-Mart is $23.47 last fall it was $21.00

Oct 17, 2011#33

Bison

JDgreen said:
IMO synthetic is WAY, WAY overpriced compared to conventional oils. WAY OVERPRICED. And except in very extreme operating conditions it provides no better engine protection. Nowhere enough to justify paying 2X-3X the price of conventional oil.

And you are 100% right :thumbsup:

The only reason i would use synthetic is in a diesel that has to sleep outside in the winter cause it'll start easier

Oct 18, 2011#34

jmurray01

At the motor parts store I buy my oil from, there is only a price difference of about £5/$8 between Mineral oil and Synthetic.

Personally, I use Synthetic, as it doesn't cost that much more, and in the long run, it will help my engine last longer, and also quietens the lifters a lot. With Mineral oil they really knock.

Oct 18, 2011#35

A

Ariena

Thank you.
Amen

Oct 18, 2011#36

JDgreen

Bison said:
And you are 100% right :thumbsup:

The only reason i would use synthetic is in a diesel that has to sleep outside in the winter cause it'll start easier

On my JD that I use to push snow in winter I have a battery tender and also a heater plugged in. It starts really fast no matter how cold it is. Our last car was a '92 Olds 98, it came from the factory with an OEM block heater. The coolant temp would be at 100 degrees no matter how cold it was outside if I left it plugged in overnite.

Oct 18, 2011#37

JDgreen

jmurray01 said:
At the motor parts store I buy my oil from, there is only a price difference of about ｣5/$8 between Mineral oil and Synthetic.

Personally, I use Synthetic, as it doesn't cost that much more, and in the long run, it will help my engine last longer, and also quietens the lifters a lot. With Mineral oil they really knock.

MINERAL OIL???? :confused2::confused2: Do you know what MINERAL OIL is here in the USA? No wonder your engine knocks if that is what you use.

What are you using synthetic oil in?

Here, mineral oil is mainly used to remove ladies's makeup, and season wood cutting boards, utensils, bowls, etc. The only mechanical application it has...hydraulic fluid, cutting oil, and lubricant...BUT NOT FOR ENGINES !!!!!

Oct 18, 2011#38

A

Ariena

Again, language difficulties.
Mineral oil=Fossil fuel=Motor oil.
Terminology like Boot, Bonnet, Wing etc. just cultural differences.

Oct 18, 2011#39

B

Black Bart

JDgreen said:
MINERAL OIL???? :confused2::confused2: Do you know what MINERAL OIL is here in the USA? No wonder your engine knocks if that is what you use.

What are you using synthetic oil in?

Here, mineral oil is mainly used to remove ladies's makeup, and season wood cutting boards, utensils, bowls, etc. The only mechanical application it has...hydraulic fluid, cutting oil, and lubricant...BUT NOT FOR ENGINES !!!!!

WRONG
What most refer to as conventional oil has a mineral oil base.
Group I Group II and Group III all use a mineral oil base.

Oct 19, 2011#40

jmurray01

Well here in the UK "Conventional" oil says "Mineral Oil" on the bottle.

I'm using Synthetic in our cars (1997 Ford Fiesta 1.25 Litre with 77,800 miles & 1998 Rover 200 1.6 Litre with 78,300 miles). I use 5W30 grade in the Ford, and 10W40 grade in the Rover. Both run fantastically and get high MPG.

In the mower (2011 Mountfield SP414 2.6HP) I'm using Mountfield MX855 oil, which is a high quality oil, however I'm unsure as to whether it is Synthetic or not.

Oct 19, 2011#41

JDgreen

Black Bart said:
WRONG
What most refer to as conventional oil has a mineral oil base.
Group I Group II and Group III all use a mineral oil base.

I have NEVER, repeat NEVER, known ANYONE to refer to conventional motor oil as "mineral oil" EVER !!!!

EXCEPT for JMurray01. Next time I go to Advance Auto I will be sure to ask for "mineral oil" and get their reaction...:laughing:

Hey JM, next time you go to a drugstore find out what mineral oil is labeled as....:laughing:

Oct 19, 2011#42

jmurray01

JDgreen said:
I have NEVER, repeat NEVER, known ANYONE to refer to conventional motor oil as "mineral oil" EVER !!!!

EXCEPT for JMurray01. Next time I go to Advance Auto I will be sure to ask for "mineral oil" and get their reaction...:laughing:

Hey JM, next time you go to a drugstore find out what mineral oil is labeled as....:laughing:

OK, go to this link - Carlube 15W40 Mineral Engine Oil (1 Litre)

Then click on the picture of the bottle, and look at the bottom of the label...

I'm not starting a fight with you JD, I'm just saying that I'm right :thumbsup:

Oct 19, 2011#43

M

Mower manic

jmurray01 said:
I'm not starting a fight with you JD, I'm just saying that I'm right :thumbsup:

Evan a blind squirell will find the nut eventually. :laughing::laughing::laughing:

Oct 19, 2011#44

B

Black Bart

JDgreen said:
I have NEVER, repeat NEVER, known ANYONE to refer to conventional motor oil as "mineral oil" EVER !!!!

EXCEPT for JMurray01. Next time I go to Advance Auto I will be sure to ask for "mineral oil" and get their reaction...:laughing:

Hey JM, next time you go to a drugstore find out what mineral oil is labeled as....:laughing:

The guy at Advance Auto will know what it is.
Anyone who know anything about motor oil knows is has a mineral oil base unless you are talking about a GRP IV or GRP V GRP IV is a PAO base and GRP V is a Ester base all others are mineral base always has been.

Let me ask you this what did you think conventional oil was made of.

Oct 19, 2011#45

JDgreen

Black Bart said:
The guy at Advance Auto will know what it is.
Anyone who know anything about motor oil knows is has a mineral oil base unless you are talking about a GRP IV or GRP V GRP IV is a PAO base and GRP V is a Ester base all others are mineral base always has been.

Let me ask you this what did you think conventional oil was made of.

Dead, decomposed, dinosaurs....which is why it is called DINO OIL !!!!

Oct 19, 2011#46

JDgreen

Mower manic said:
Evan a blind squirell will find the nut eventually. :laughing::laughing::laughing:

Even a blind, deaf, pawless, toothless, olfactory deprived SQUIRELL (sic) will find the nut eventually, especially in my front yard right now.

Oct 19, 2011#47

M

Mower manic

JDgreen said:
Even a blind, deaf, pawless, toothless, olfactory deprived SQUIRELL (sic) will find the nut eventually, especially in my front yard right now.

I'll bet you have some fat ones, real tree shakers.

Oct 19, 2011#48

JDgreen

Mower manic said:
I'll bet you have some fat ones, real tree shakers.

My tiger tabby has eliminated all the squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits, from the entire surrounding area. I just wish he would get rid of the (bleeping) moles too....

Oct 19, 2011#49

A

Ariena

Squirrel Pie, Uhhmmmmm, good!

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